


Daisy

by violet_baudelaire



Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Western, Angst, Attraction, Bullying, Chauvinism, Confusion, Dominance, F/M, Historical Inaccuracy/Vagueness, Late 1800s, Marriage Proposal, Original Fiction, Physical Abuse, Romance, Sadness, farms, kiss, reluctance, small town
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 11:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14331708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violet_baudelaire/pseuds/violet_baudelaire
Summary: Daisy is mistreated by her father. She is in love with a farmhand,  William. Her father wants her to marry the owner of the general store, Lucas, who seems kind although he is twice Daisy's age. Daisy meets a handsome stranger under unfortunate circumstances. Daisy wants  to have her own family to care for but will she find love as well?





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**A/N: I haven’t written original fiction in a long time but I had an idea and went with it and this was the result. Hope you enjoy reading :)**

**WARNINGS: Abusive behaviour, chauvinism, historical inaccuracy, age gap one sided relationship. These warning items will likely appear in future chapters as well so I’m making this a blanket warning for all chapters. Of course I do NOT condone abusive behaviour, chauvinism, etc.**

“Make sure you hurry, Daisy,” William snapped, annoyed that my father had made him take me to town with the horse wagon to pick up some extra groceries. He wanted to be back on our farm, and resting as he usually had a break around this time. As he jumped down and walked around the horses to me, he had no smile on his face. William had reddish blonde hair, striking blue eyes and a tan from all his work outside under the fierce heat. I thought he was very handsome. My father had forbidden me from dating until he chose a suitable husband, and he would not approve of William as a match for me. Despite the fact that we as a family were not wealthy, and William being a farmhand did the same work as my father. Even if my father had liked the idea of William courting me, the truth was that William did not see me as a woman he could be attracted to. I was just the daughter of his employer, and his friend. Yet I often longed to tell him how I felt though I knew he would not feel the same for me.

“I’m really sorry,” I felt bad as my miserly father worked him too hard for little pay, and his breaks were few and far between. “I’ll be quick as I can.”

William frowned as he helped me to get down from where I sat on the front seat. He was tall and broad shouldered, strong from all his hard work on the farm so he had no problem lifting me down. “You better be, missy.” He smiled at me then, patting my head like I was a little child and not a young woman. “I don’t mean to be a grump. I’ve just been very tired lately, but I shouldn’t take it on you.”

“It’s alright. I’m really sorry I forgot my list the last time you brought me to town.” I hurried off then, only stopping to grab my basket and then set off into an awkward run to Hardy’s General Store. It was a bit difficult to run in my dress, and I felt envious of men since they could wear trousers and I was not allowed. Not even at home on the farm, riding a horse. I only came into town to buy groceries or fabric and on Sunday to attend the church service. I often longed to be allowed to just take my time and look around. However, my father would not approve of that and I was never allowed to come into town on my own.

Hardy’s General Store was a place of wonder to me. There were so many goods on sale in there, and I saw it as a treasure trove. Although, I always had to rigidly stick to buying items we needed for the home and groceries. One time I had bought a cheap little paperback with the change I had left from a shopping trip. However, my father had been furious when I had not come home with the change. He had taken the book away from me, read it himself and claimed it was filth then he had burned it on the fire. I had been caned and as a result found it hard to sit down for the next few days. I had never again attempted to buy anything I was not meant to have from the store.

I was dismayed when I went into the store and saw Mrs Hardy standing behind the counter. She disliked me as she thought I was trying to steal her son away from her. Lucas Hardy seemed like a nice man, but I only had eyes for William. Lucas was 36, and while it was not unusual for older men to marry younger women, I would prefer a husband to be a similar age as myself or with a smaller age gap between us. However I knew my father would be the one to choose my husband, it was not like I had a say in the matter. And he had been a good friend of Lucas’s father up until the day Mr Hardy had died from tuberculosis. If not for Mrs Hardy I was sure my father would have been trying to persuade Lucas to court me. I collected the items I needed, and I could feel Mrs Hardy’s eyes on me everywhere I walked in the store. When I went to pay for the items, as usual she ignored my greeting and in a clipped tone told me the amount I owed her. I paid the money, and she disdainfully dropped my change onto the counter.

I left after saying goodbye; she turned her head away and refused to reply. I ran back to where the horse wagon was tethered, I was surprised to see the horses had been left alone. They were happy, Duke was taking a drink from a nearby water trough and Peaches was nibbling on something. I wondered where William was, and as I turned around I ran straight into a man who had been striding in the opposite direction to me. I had not taken care to secure the bottle of cherry cordial I had bought and it had fallen out of my basket. I tried to bend down to catch it, but it was too late. The bottle smashed and the dark red liquid within drained into the dirt of the ground. Unfortunately, it also splashed onto the man’s shoes and his trousers. He was tall and lean, wearing a smart, light grey, tailored suit. He was quite fair in complexion, with chestnut brown eyes and wavy dark brown hair slicked down with a neat side parting. I knew most of the people in town, although I mainly saw them on a Sunday at the church service. I did not know him and I assumed he was new in town.

“Look what you did, you clumsy girl,” The man looked cross with me. “This is a new suit!” He exclaimed, and although I understood him, his accent was different to the usual ones I heard. Then I realized that he was British. “Well, what’s your name?”

“Daisy Peterson, sir. I’m awfully sorry this happened.” I replied, feeling anxious as I realized the gravity of the situation. My father had a great liking for Hardy’s cherry cordial. He took it with water, and sometimes with his whiskey. It was handmade by Mrs Hardy from a recipe given to her by her mother. I had tried to recreate the cordial at home but father had hated it. He was going to be very upset with me when I went home. Not just for ruining his cordial, but for the waste of money. I was upset when I thought about getting punished, and my eyes started to tear up. “My father’s not going to like this one bit.”

“I have a very important meeting, and you’ve ruined my suit.” The man looked sternly at me, and sounded irritated. “Don’t start crying, you silly goose. Look, I suppose I would be willing to forget this happened. Go and buy another cherry cordial, then take it home to your father.”

“I can’t do that; father knows the exact change I have to bring home to him. Besides, it won’t be enough to buy the cordial. And I can’t go back in the store. Mrs Hardy would just tell my father the next time he came in the store that I had bought two cherry cordials, and it would all come out.”

The man sighed heavily. “Just wait here and don’t move. I will be back shortly.”

“Wait, don’t go!” I called after him, but I did not want to leave the horses. Also it would not have been ladylike to chase after him, though I did not consider myself to be a lady. . William should not have left them unattended, my father would have been livid if he found out. There were unsavoury types who passed through the town, drifters who would think nothing of stealing a horse and riding away. I was relieved when I saw William appear in the distance. As he approached me, I saw a red flush on his face. “Where were you?”

William shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “I thought I oughta enjoy myself for once, I went to the saloon.”

“You went drinking?” I stepped closer to him and sniffed the air. He did not reek of alcohol, which was good. “If father knew what you did-”

“Oh? Are you gonna tell on me?” William interrupted me, and then gave me a smug smile. “You gonna upset him and make me mad at you?”

“No, I wouldn’t tell on you.” I sighed. Although I liked William, he could be selfish and reckless at times. It was not the first time he had done something like that, and I was sure it would not be the last time.

I saw the man I had seen earlier walking up to us. He was holding a bottle of cherry cordial, which he passed to me, and then he spoke to William. “We had a little accident earlier. I broke her bottle of cordial with my clumsiness,” He shot me a look then returned his attention to William. “So I went to go and replace it.”

“That was real kind of you, Mr...?” William held out his hand.

“Mr Hawthorne. James Hawthorne,” James shook William’s hand. “I have to go now; I’m late for a meeting. I bid you both good day.” He walked away without a backwards glance.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

“Let’s get back to the farm,” William hoisted me back up into the seat and soon was ready for us to travel back home. On the journey I kept thinking about James. It made sense now as to who he was. The Hawthorne family owned many of the shops and business in town. He had to be a relative of theirs. I had to think of some way to repay him for his favour. I did not feel right about him paying for the cherry cordial. When we got home, I went to unpack the groceries and make a start on dinner. William disappeared off to the small building to near the farmhouse that was his bunk room. In the past we had a few other farmhands, but then father had decided to sell off some of his land so now we had a much smaller farm and he did not need so much help. Father had me at quite an old age, but he was still working just as hard on the land and showed little signs of slowing down. My mother had died when I was 13, and my father had never gotten over it. He had always been mean to me, but he had loved my mother. I knew that, because she was the only person he had been gentle with. I know they had both felt bitterly disappointed when I was born a girl, instead of the boy my father had wanted.

However, my mother had still been enamoured with her little baby girl. As I grew up, she always protected me when my father lashed out at me. That only made him resent me more. My folks had tried again but sadly the baby, a boy, had been stillborn. That was around the time my father took to drinking more. Then after my mother died, he pulled me out of school. I could read and write, and I knew a fair amount of math. My father told me it was more of an education than I deserved, and more than enough for him to find me a husband one day. He said that men did not like women to be smarter than they were. I was sad to leave school, but I had to follow my father’s wishes. I took on care of the house, cleaning and cooking, and I looked after the vegetable garden. My father cut me off from the one friend I had made in school, which was not that hard to do as she was one of the Hawthornes, and her parents had not liked the idea of her mingling with a farmer’s daughter. Olivia Hawthorne had gone to finishing school, and had turned many a man’s head when she returned. Including William’s. She had new friends, and countless beaus.  It was understandable; she was rich, beautiful and well educated. Even back when we were friends, I had felt envious of her long fair hair and big blue eyes, and as she grew older, her figure. I was thin, with long dark brown hair, mossy green eyes, ears that unfortunately stuck out a little and I had barely any curves to speak of. My dresses were all horribly out of fashion, in dull colours and made from the cheapest rolls of fabric available. My mother had taught me to sew and make my own dresses, and on my 13th birthday we had gone to a dressmaker’s and she had me fitted for a lovely pale pink dress. However, after she had passed, my father had burned most of my old dresses, including that pretty pink dress. From then on father had dictated the style and fabric of the dresses, and it all had to be handmade by me.

This meant I always stuck out like a sore thumb at church, amongst all the other girls. Sometimes I hated my father, but then I would always feel guilty for thinking I hated him. He was still my father after all. I always tried my best to make my father happy but nothing I ever did was good enough for him. My family was broken and my father did not seem to love me. I longed to have my own family one day and I vowed that when I had children I would never treat them like my father treated me. It took some time to make dinner, and then when it was ready I had brought William’s food on a tray over to the bunkhouse, as my father would not let him eat his meals with us. He would not allow William to be in the house at all, which I thought was very mean of him. However, I knew William preferred it that way. He relished all the time he spent away from my father. I had made one of William’s favourite meals, roasted chicken with mash and greens and for dessert there was apple pie.

I had to be quick taking the tray back inside and serving my father his meal in our small dining room. He hated to be kept waiting. After I had plated up a full dish of food for him, I stood and waited for his signal that I could serve myself some food and sit down. Sometimes, if he was in a really bad mood, he would keep me waiting until he had finished his own food. Today, he was in a tolerantly good mood as after a few minutes of eating, he beckoned for me to come to the table. I served myself a plate of food and sat down, quietly eating while keeping my eyes on my food.

“The chicken’s dry, and the gravy’s too watery,” My father complained, sounding bitter. “Your mother knew how to cook a good chicken, it’s a shame you didn’t learn how to in all these years of practice.”

I noticed that he had finished his food, and was in the process of getting a second helping. I wanted to ask him why he would eat more of my food if it was as terrible as he claimed it was. However, I did not want to risk his wrath. “I’m sorry.”

“Hmph. There’s that town hall dance coming up on the Monday. I reckon, as the Reverend is hosting it with his wife, it should be a respectable affair.”

“Yes, father. I’m sure William will enjoy going to the dance,” I replied, then continued to eat. My father never allowed me to go to any of the dances in town, so I wondered why he was raising the topic in conversation. My father was the kind of man who spoke only about things he wanted to discuss; he never wasted time on small talk or pleasantries.

“Not as much as he usually would, because he’ll be escorting you to the dance and back. He’ll be your chaperone.”

I was shocked by my father’s decision. “Really? I can go to the dance?”

“You’ll be 18 soon, and you’re a good girl. I know I can trust you not to get too close to the men. Especially William.” My father suddenly laughed, a great big wicked laugh. “Although, I’m not really worried because you’re not a beauty like your mother was. It’s not like they’ll be that eager to dance with you. You’ve got my ears, and if you were a boy it would have suited you just fine. However, the Lord saw fit to make you a homely looking girl.”

I ignored his hurtful remarks about my appearance, as I wanted to ask him a favour. “Do you think I could buy some new fabric? There’s a pink dyed fabric, it’s so soft to touch and I could trim it with white lace and it would be so lovely. It’s not even expensive fabric, especially with that discount Mr Hardy always gives us.”

“Do you have air instead of a brain between those ears of yours, Daisy?” My father mocked me. “I said the dance is Monday, it’s Saturday now. You won’t make the dress in enough time for the dance.”

“I don’t want to make it for the dance. I want to make a dress for my birthday, as a present to myself.” I did not say that he should be the one giving me a present, although he had not given me any presents in many years. In fact he never mentioned my birthdays at all, so it was odd that he had remarked on my age.

“We’ll see. Go and get that pie out, I’m ready for my dessert.” My father ordered. “Quickly now, and be sure you put some cream in my bowl as well.”

“Yes, father.” I rose from my seat, going to the kitchen and cutting a slice of pie for him. It was not often that I had something to look forward to in my life, but I was very excited about the upcoming dance. Over the next few days, I could think of nothing else. I had agonized over my choice of dress, in the end going with a dress that had an ugly flowery pattern but was at least a little less plain than my other dresses. I had tied my long hair up with strips of rags the night before, so I woke up with curls at the bottom of my hair. Usually I just brushed my hair and twisted it back into a bun tied with ribbon scraps. Because it was the dance, I had decided to leave my hair down, but I had put my mother’s hair comb into one side of my hair. The colour matched the flowers on my dress, and my mother had let me try it on when I was younger. I knew she would have wanted me to wear it, and I wished she was there to see me off to the dance. My father would have been angry if he knew I had taken it, but I figured if I put it back after the dance he would be none the wiser.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

My father was meant to be out in our barn when William and I left for the dance but he came out of the living room as I was walking to the front door. I was surprised, and quickly tried to turn to stop him from seeing mother’s hair comb but it was too late.

“What are you doing, girl?” He stormed up to me, and slapped me hard across the face. “How dare you touch your mother’s things!” He growled, roughly grabbing hold of my hair and pulling on the roots painfully before he took out my mother’s hair comb from my hair. “I’m gonna punish you later, now get going to that dance before I change my mind about letting you go.”

I walked out to where William was waiting for me, my father wasting no time in slamming the door shut. William was wearing his church outfit, and he looked very good but he always did to me even in his regular farm hand clothes which were often dusty and dirty. William looked a little taken aback when he saw me. “Daisy, what happened?”

“Nothing, my father’s just in one of his moods. I took my mother’s hair comb and he got mad at me.” I explained as he helped me up onto the horse wagon.

William climbed up on the seat and took hold of the reins, then coaxed the horses to start moving. “If you get married, you won’t have to deal with your Pa’s abuse any more. It ain’t right, the way he treats you. Mr Morrow, the widow, he’s looking for a wife you know. And he’s rich too, owns three businesses in town. Your Pa would approve of him.”

“Mr Morrow is almost fifty, William.”

“So what? He’s still got a good few years left in him, and you can’t be too picky as a farmer’s daughter. You’d be lucky to get him.”

“I’d like to marry you,” I confessed. “We could run away together. Just say the word and I’d go with you.”

William looked uncomfortable. “Daisy, no. You’re like a kid sister to me. I mean...even if your Pa liked me I’d never have wanted to court you. You’re sweet, and you’ll find a husband in no time now you’ve come of age. Now, I better focus on getting us safely to town, so no more talking.”

True to his word, we both remained silent on the journey into town. I felt crushed by William’s words to me, although in my heart I had always known he would never want me. I also could not believe he would think of pairing me with Mr Morrow. He was desperate to marry, but only so he could have an unpaid housekeeper, maid and nanny all rolled into one. His children were all spoilt, and his oldest daughter was only a few years younger than me. The very thought of marrying Mr Morrow repulsed me. I was not in a good mood by the time we reached the town hall where the dance was being held. As soon as we stepped inside, William disappeared off into the crowds of dancing couples, saying he would collect me in a few hours. There was a few men playing music on the stage, one had an oboe and the other had a guitar and was also a singer. Two tables laden down with homemade refreshments were in one corner of the hall. I walked over to find a space on one of the tables to put down the peach cobbler I had made. It seemed that everyone was having a good time, but I was feeling upset and I just wanted to go home.

I went and sat down one of the wooden chairs placed all around the edge of the hall. I saw the Hawthornes, spread out all over the floor. Olivia was nowhere to be seen, but I saw Mr and Mrs Hawthorne and their other children. James Hawthorne was dancing with one of Olivia’s friends, Lindsey. He was quite stiff in his posture, and did not appear to be enjoying himself though he danced very well with her. Lindsey looked oblivious to his discomfort; she had quite a smug smile on her face as many of the other ladies were watching them and seemed jealous. When I saw him I wondered yet again how I was going to pay him back for the favour he had done for me, and I felt a pang of unease watching Lindsey dance with him. Suddenly my view was blocked.

“Would you like to dance?”

It was Lucas Hardy who was stood in front of me. He was wearing a smart shirt and slacks, the shirt straining at the seams because of his extra weight. He had clear green eyes, fair curly hair and a kind smile on his plump face. His mother would hate the thought of me dancing with her son, but fortunately she was nowhere in sight. “Alright. Although I’m not very good at dancing, Mr Hardy.”

“I’m not either, but I’ll still have fun dancing with such a pretty young lady.” Lucas held out a hand to me. “I don’t usually like to dance, but I want to if I’m dancing with you.”

I put my hand in his, and when I rose to my feet he led me onto the dancefloor. It was a little awkward to dance with Lucas, and we were not in rhythm at all. However, his smile remained constant and his gaze never strayed from mine. Even after I stepped on his foot accidentally, he only lost his smile for a short while before it appeared again. I started to enjoy myself, and picture what it would be like if Lucas courted me. Perhaps in time I could grow to like him. Despite the age gap, he really was the best choice out of any man father would consider allowing to marry me. If I did not have a choice, I would rather be courted by Lucas than any other man. He was always kind to me, and he had pleasant features, reminding me of a teddy bear with his sweet smile, kind eyes and rotund body. If not for his mother I was sure he would already have been married. After four dances I saw that Lucas seemed quite tired, and I could see he needed to rest so I told him I would like to stop for a drink. He sat down and mopped at his face with a handkerchief, while I went off to get us some cold lemon tea.

“Here you go,” I handed him a glass of the tea, which he gratefully accepted then I sat down to drink my tea. “Mrs Rossum always makes the best iced tea.”

Lucas drank down his tea quickly and smiled at me. “Can you get me some of the peach cobbler?”

“Of course, I’ll be right back,” I brought our empty glasses back to the refreshment tables, but before I could get a slice of peach cobbler I saw James, who was being followed by Lindsey.

“Quickly, let us dance before she catches hold of me again,” James did not give me a chance to respond, taking me into his arms and swiftly guiding us away from Lindsey. He was a wonderful dancer, while I was even clumsier than I had been before while dancing. I think it was because he made me nervous and so many of the townsfolk had their eyes on us. James’s uncle and aunt were eying us with stark disapproval written all over their faces. I also felt guilty as I was enjoying dancing with him much more than I had with Lucas.

“Mr Hawthorne, I think we’d better stop dancing together. Your family doesn’t seem to like it.”

James laughed, his dark eyes shining merrily with amusement. “I like dancing with you, even though you’re a terrible dancer. Besides, you are shielding me from Miss Lindsey.”

“Oh, that’s good,” I smiled, glad to think I was helping him, if only a little bit. “If there’s any way I can ever help you in future, just let me know. You saved me that day. I don’t know what my father would have done if...well it doesn’t matter now.”

“It’s my turn to dance with Mr Hawthorne,” I was abruptly pulled away from him by Lindsey, her fingers digging into my arm painfully before she let go. “Move along now, Daisy.”

“Miss Lindsey, listen to me when I tell you –”

I hastily cut James off, his sharp tone of voice and the frown on his face making me realize he was about to tell her off. “No, it’s alright. I have to go; Mr Hardy is waiting for me to come back to him.” As I walked away I heard Lindsey berating him for dancing with me.

I got a slice of my peach cobbler and brought it over to Lucas. “I thought you forget about me,” He laughed, although it seemed forced. “All the girls want to dance with Mr Hawthorne, don’t they?”

“No, Mr Hardy,” I sat next to him, quickly explaining what had happened. “I was just the closest one nearby when he wanted a change from dancing with Lindsey. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, but I hope you like the cobbler.”

“It’s really good,” Lucas did not take long to devour the cobbler and then with a sigh he stood up from his seat. “I would have liked a bigger piece, but you know for next time now. I’ll go put the plate down, you stay here and don’t you move. I don’t want you to be snatched away from me again.”

“I’ll wait right here, Lucas.” I did not like the way he was ordering me around, even though he wasn’t being harsh with me like my father it was still worrying. Although he was definitely kinder than my father, the truth was I did not really know him well. For all I knew he could turn out just to be just like my father, but I desperately hoped that was not going to the case.

When Lucas came back, he sat down next to me and to my surprise, he took hold of my hands, a solemn expression appearing on his face. “Daisy. I’ve talked to your father and he wants me to marry you. And that’s what I want too. It’s just that my mother was always so against me marrying you, but she’s tired of waiting for her grandbabies to arrive so she’s agreed to accept you. So, what do you say? Will you be my wife?”

“I...” I hesitated, looking from his smiling, plump face down to his hands that were gently holding my own. I had mixed emotions about his proposal. I was relieved, even a little pleased but also I felt unsure and nervous. It was far too soon for my liking. I would also have preferred that he propose to me when it was just the two of us, and if he had put more thought into it. “Oh. I thought...Aren’t you going to court me first?” I looked back up at him. “Don’t you think that’s the right thing to do?”

“Look, Daisy,” Lucas dropped his hold on my hands, and frowned at me. “I’ve known you all my life, there’s no sense wasting time courting. I’ve been waiting long enough to get married. Besides, if you don’t marry me your father will force you to marry Mr Morrow. My mother said she’d post an advertisement to get me a wife from out of town if I don’t marry you. Now, is that what you want?”

It was far from the romantic proposal I would have wanted, but it was the best one I was going to get. I still thought it was not fair that he did not want to court me, but then again what William had said was true. I was just a farmer’s daughter, and my options were very limited. And Lucas could provide for me the family I wanted so badly. So I smiled at him, hoping he would think the tears forming in my eyes were from joy and not sadness. “No. I’m so happy you want to marry me. Yes, I...I want to be your wife.”

**Thanks for reading :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Lucas brought one of my hands up to his lips and brushed a soft, slightly wet kiss over the back of my hand. I smiled, appreciating the gesture although it made me feel a little uneasy and I drew my hand back as soon as I could. “Soon you’ll be all mine. And you’ll never dance with another man again. I can’t wait until we’re married. My mother will plan everything, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

I stayed silent, not pleased with the idea of his mother planning the wedding. Already it seemed like she was controlling me and I had not even married her son yet. Although it would not be pleasant for me to live with her, I hoped it would be better than living with my father. “That’s nice of her, but what if I have a few ideas for the wedding?”

“You can discuss them with my mother, but knowing her she’ll get her own way in the end. Besides, if you want to get along with her you should do what she wants,” Lucas sighed heavily. “I know she can be a little ornery at times but she’s a good woman, and I love her a lot. I want you to respect her like you’re going to respect me as your future husband.”

“Of course I will,” I replied, struggling to keep my smile intact. Already I could see that Lucas would always favour his mother’s opinions over my own. And it was all so soon, everything felt so rushed. I really did not know Lucas well, my entire judgement of him as a person was from the brief times I had visited his shop. “It’s just...” I hesitated, wanting to ask him what he would do if she did not respect me but I already knew the answer. He would not do anything. “It’s getting late. I should find William; we need to go home now.”

“Don’t you want to spend more time with me?” Lucas looked surprised, and hurt. “I just proposed to you, after all.”

“I reckon once we get married you’ll soon get sick of spending time with me,” I forced a laugh. “I do want to spend more time with you, but my father wouldn’t like me to get home too late,” I lied, as I hurriedly rose from my seat. “Goodbye then, Mr Hardy. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.”

Lucas rose from his seat as well. “Well, if you really have to leave...” He leaned closer to me to whisper in my ear. “I wish I could hold you in my arms and kiss you, but I don’t want to cause a scandal. So I’ll wait until we’re alone.” He stepped back. “Goodbye, Daisy.”

I smiled weakly at him before turning to leave. I was not too excited about the thought of kissing Lucas, although I did not think it would be unpleasant. I hoped it would not be. I was interested in the idea if only because I had never been kissed before. I had daydreamed about kissing William in the past but although Lucas did not make my heart race at least I would be able to kiss him in reality. And I knew even if I did not like kissing Lucas, I would have to get used to it. Although I did not like how Lucas was in such a rush to get married, to be intimate with me when we did not have a deep relationship. In time I hoped we would be, but it was far too soon. I had to wonder if he even cared about me as a person, or he was just tired of being without a wife because of his mother.

Looking around I could not see William anywhere, even though I walked all over the hall. So I decided to look outside, although I regretted it when I made my way around to the back of the town hall and found him. He was not alone. William was embracing a fair haired woman and his lips were pressed fervently against hers. It was starting to get dark, and although her face was half hidden in shadows I knew who it was because of her gown. It was a beautiful fabric, and the design was very new, fresh from a French magazine. It was Olivia Hawthorne. No wonder I had not seen her in the town hall, it had probably been their plan all along to sneak out to the back and have an illicit rendezvous together.

I was hurt, although it was not as bad as it would have been if William had not already firmly crushed any hope I had of being with him. I was concerned for William’s safety. If Olivia’s father found out, he would make sure William was run out of town. He might even go so far as to try to hurt William in some way, and he certainly had the wealth and power to do so without causing trouble to himself. At least if they were going to be reckless enough to see each other, a town hall dance where her family was nearby was not the right place for them to meet. Yet William could be reckless at times, and Olivia was probably getting a thrill from meeting him – a man the total opposite of what her parents would want to be a suitor for her.

It was uncomfortable for me to watch, painful to see their passion for each other so I rushed back around to the side of the town hall. I also did not want them to know I had seen them either. I was startled when I almost walked into James, then I felt anxious when I realized he was heading down the same path I had gone down. If he saw his cousin with William, I did not know what would happen and I did not want to find out. He nodded to me with a genial expression but kept walking past me.

So I caught hold of his arm. “Wait, don’t leave yet. I need to be escorted back into the dance.”

“The door is only a short walk away, I’m sure you’ll survive,” James shook my hand off his arm, and scowled at me. “And I do not appreciate being touched without my permission.”

I was chastened by his words, but I still persevered. I could not let him find out about William and Olivia. “I’m sorry about that, but it is getting dark out here and I would feel much safer if you walked me back into the hall. Please, Mr Hawthorne. As you said, it’s only a short walk away so it won’t take you long at all.”

James looked almost disappointed, only for a few moments before a cold expression overtook his face. “Fine, if you insist. I thought you were different from the others. I suppose I was mistaken.” He coolly offered me his arm to hold.

I was confused, but I had the sense enough not to make things worse for myself so I declined his offer. “Oh no, that’s not necessary.”

“But isn’t this what you wished for, Miss Peterson?” James firmly yet gently took hold of my hand and placed it in the crook of my arm. “This time you have permission to touch me.”

I did not understand why, but I felt flushed all of a sudden, a pleasant warmth spreading through me despite James’s frosty demeanour with me. It felt right, somehow, to be walking alongside him. Unfortunately it ended all too soon, and he left without another word.

“Daisy!” Lucas exclaimed, giving me a reproachful look as he approached me. “I thought you were going to find William, but you come back with Mr Hawthorne. What’s going on?” He snapped, as he took out his handkerchief and wiped his face as he was again starting to perspire. “Quickly, tell me before I get cross with you.”

“I couldn’t find William and James – ” I paused quickly, realizing my terrible mistake. “I mean, Mr Hawthorne thought it would be safer if he escorted me back inside of me walking back on my own. It is quite dark out there. I’m sorry; I should have just waited here with you.”

“Go sit down in the corner, Daisy,” Lucas commanded, his expression one of disappointment fused with irritation. “I’ll find William and bring him to you. I guess this is my fault too. I let you go wandering off on your own, which was a mistake.” He shook his head, muttering something under his breath as he stormed away.

I wished I had not said James’s name, it made me feel bad but I still thought Lucas had overreacted as I sat down. How could we be together if he did not have trust in me to faithful to him? Yet it was wrong of me to have James’s face in my mind when I was going to marry another man. I was not being fair to Lucas. He was not perfect, but he was kinder than my father and he worked hard in his own business. He also had a nice face and the distance in our age was not too bad. He did not set my heart alight but in time I could grow to love him. I hoped I would do so. True to his words, after some time had passed Lucas came back to me with a disgruntled looking William.

“Daisy, I wasn’t ready to leave yet but I suppose we better get going now,” William helped me up from my seat and glared at Lucas. “There, are you happy now? I’m taking her home just like you wanted so don’t go complaining to her Pa about me.”

“You shouldn’t have left her alone in the first place,” Lucas retorted. “Just go, and I won’t say anything to him.”

William walked away without another word and I hurried after him, only pausing to speak briefly to Lucas. “Goodbye, Mr Hardy.”

Lucas grabbed hold of my hand. “Wait, Daisy. I didn’t mean to be rude to you before. I was just jealous, but I realized there’s nothing to worry about. I mean, he’s a Hawthorne. A Hawthorne won’t be interested in a farmer’s daughter. You’re going to be mine, and that’s what I need to focus on.” He squeezed my hand gently before letting go. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

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	5. Chapter 5

The journey back home was just as silent as the journey to the dance. I knew William was thinking about Olivia, but I did not dare to confront him about it. It would not help him or me, and it was better if he thought I was ignorant to his misdeeds. I did not want us to fall out. I had realized that it was good William did not want me, after seeing how careless he was being with Olivia. Over the next few days I settled back into my usual dull routine of taking care of the house and my father. I did my best to put James out of my thoughts and think about how good it would be to be Mrs Lucas Hardy, but it was a struggle for me.

When we got home from church on a Sunday, I was serving a cup of tea and a slice of cake to my father when the doorbell rang. “Hurry up, answer the door,” My father took a bite of the cake I had baked, spraying crumbs out of his mouth as he complained while still eating. “Not enough sugar in here, and it’s not moist,” He grumbled as I walked away from the unappealing sight.

I opened the door, only slightly surprised to see Lucas there. He had a big smile on his face, his hands hidden behind his back. He had told me he would see me soon, and he had kept that promise. Lucas was a reliable man, and I knew I should be thankful for that. Better reliable and safe than selfish and reckless like William or worse completely out of my reach like James. “Hello, Mr Hardy. It’s nice to see you again.”

Lucas moved his hands in front of him, revealing the bunch of wildflowers he had hidden from my view. “Here you go, flowers for the prettiest flower I know.”

I was touched by his sweet gesture, especially knowing he had gone out of his way to pick them especially for me. It made me feel bad that I did not like him as much as he liked me. “Thank you so much, Mr Hardy.” I gladly accepted the flowers, and raised them to my nose to take in the scent. “The flowers are beautiful. Do you want to come in and join us for some tea and cake?”

“Yes, I’d like that,” Lucas took off his coat and held it out to me expectantly as I stepped aside to let him enter the house. “I’ll go wait with your father. Bring me two slices of cake. I want one spoon of sugar in my tea and I don’t like my tea to be strong so make sure to add lots of milk.”

I took hold of his coat awkwardly, having to take a hand away from the wildflowers. Lucas disappeared off into the parlour where I could hear him greeting my father. I quickly hung his coat up on our wooden coat rack and put the flowers to rest in a glass vase with some water before carefully carrying the vase upstairs into my room to sit on the table by my bed.

“Daisy, get down here!” My father yelled from downstairs, sounding irate. “Lucas is waiting for you. I’m going out to feed the horses.”

I rushed back down the stairs. “Wait, father...” It was no use, the front door slammed shut just as I stepped back onto the floor. I was alarmed that my father had carelessly left me alone with Lucas when he would never let me be alone with other men. I suppose he thought it did not matter because Lucas was going to be my husband but I did not like it.

“Daisy!”

I heard Lucas call for me and took a deep breath before fixing a calm smile onto my face and walking into the parlour. “Sorry about the wait, I was just putting your flowers up in my room.” I poured Lucas some tea and served him two large slices of cake. He was sitting on the loveseat and I sat opposite him on an armchair. “What were you talking about with my father?”

“Can I confess something to you?” Lucas asked, before devouring one of the slices of cake. “My mother picked out the flowers for you. I don’t know much about arranging flowers; it’s not really something a man needs to know is it?” He chuckled as he drank some of the team then he pulled a face. “Daisy...the tea is bitter. Make me a fresh cup.”

I was disappointed that the flowers had not been chosen by him, but I tried my best not to show it. “Oh, but it can’t be that bitter. The leaves haven’t been steeping in the pot for a long time.”

“Just do as I ask, Daisy.” Lucas put his cup down and ate his other slice of cake. “And cut me one more slice of cake,” He rested a hand on his rotund stomach then sighed heavily. “On second thoughts, I better not eat any more cake.”

I poured Lucas another cup of tea, but added more milk. “Is that better?”

He shrugged after taking a few sips. “It’s alright. I’ll have to get my mother to show you how I like my tea.” He patted the seat next to him. “Sit next to me. I’ve got something I want to show you.”

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We really shouldn’t be alone together,” I hovered by the loveseat, feeling uncertain as I tried to gauge what he wanted. “My father shouldn’t have left us.”

Lucas finished his tea and set the cup down before pulling a ring out of his shirt pocket. “Don’t be scared. I just want to give you your ring. That’s all, I promise.”

“I suppose that would be fine,” I sat down next to him, just about managing to squeeze into the small space left on the loveseat next to the considerable bulk of his body. Even at the dance we had not been in such close proximity and it made me feel nervous but I was curious as well. I looked at the ring more closely. It was a thin band of gold, with a pretty rose pattern engraved into it and I was enchanted by it. “It’s beautiful, Mr Hardy.”

“Isn’t it about time you started calling me Lucas?” He took hold of my hand and slipped the ring onto my finger.

 It was a little too tight but I liked the way it looked on my hand. “Thank you, Mr- I mean, thank you...Lucas.”

Lucas grabbed my shoulders and pressed his lips against my own before I could even protest. His stubble felt rough against my skin and I felt a slightly discomforting dampness on my lips from his mouth. I was very tense, and felt relieved when he pulled away from me. I had not even responded to the kiss at all, frozen with shock at his disrespect towards me. “Darn it. I didn’t mean to kiss you, but you just looked so sweet I couldn’t resist it. Besides, we’ll be married soon so it’s alright.”

I stood up from the loveseat, and smiled wanly at Lucas, hiding my discontent as best I could. My first kiss was gone now and I had not even enjoyed it. There was no spark between us, and I was afraid that there never would be. I would marry Lucas without being in love with him, and the more I got to know him the less I liked him. He was not violent like my father, or so far he did not appear to be so but they did share certain similarities like impatience, being demanding and never having the decency to say please or thank you to me. Lucas was nicer to me than my father was but that could all change after we got married. He was already starting to show a side to him I did not like.

Lucas stood up after finishing drinking his tea and sighed heavily. “I hate to leave you but I need to get back home or my mother will get worried.”

 “I’ll go fetch your coat for you,” I hastily left the parlour, not wanting to risk being kissed again. I stood by the front door and waited for Lucas to appear. After he had taken his coat I opened the front door. “Goodbye, Lucas.”

“You seem eager for me to leave, Daisy. Is it because I kissed you?” Lucas asked as he put his coat on, his smile disappearing entirely. “I know it is. I didn’t mean to kiss you but you’re just so beautiful and I want you so much. I won’t kiss you again until we get married, I promise.”

“I think that’s a good idea, Lucas.” He reached his arms out to embrace me and I returned his embrace, feeling a little better. Although Lucas had not apologized at least he had acknowledged his mistake. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Daisy,” Lucas finally left and I stopped smiling. I could suddenly see my life stretched out in front of me, wife to Lucas, mother to his children and living in the town until I died. Until very recently, the idea of getting married had meant escape from my father but I had foolishly failed to see the truth that all I would be doing was exchanging one prison for another. I still thought that married life was an inviting prospect, but only with a man I loved. I did not think I could love Lucas even though I would have to make an effort to at least care for him - for both our sakes. I was still thankful that I would not be marrying Mr Morrow. And while Lucas was not perfect, neither was I. He liked me a lot, and I returned his affection with indifference. In a way I felt like I was using Lucas, but I also felt like he was using me too. He wanted more freedom from his mother, to have a wife who wouldn’t boss him around like she did and he wanted a family. I wanted my freedom from my father and I wanted my own family to love and care for.

We would both get what we wanted, although I wondered if I would ever be truly content with Lucas.

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